I absolutely love this distillery! Friendly staff and fantastic bourbon selection at great prices…read more They do a Daily Drop of hard to find bourbons which is why people start lining up early in morning. They open at 9am and offer free tours as long as you reserve online. The gift shop is huge and some of the bourbons are limited to one or two per person. Since many of the bourbons are not available in my area,this is a must stop when in the Louisville area.

If I could summarize my experience in one word, it would be Disappointed…read more The Buffalo Trace tour and tasting was at the top of my Bourbon Trail list. My family had visited in 2017 and 2023 and raved about it, so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, after visiting five distilleries during our trip, this was one of my least favorite experiences. To start with the positives: the tours are free, which is generous, and the drinks at the bar are reasonably priced. Our guide, Tony, was knowledgeable and friendly when answering questions. However, the tour itself felt underwhelming and lacked depth. We never went inside the actual production areas, learned much about the grains or bourbon-making process, or experienced the sights and aromas I expected from a distillery tour. Even my spouse, felt the tour was somewhat scattered and lacking in detail. The tasting was even more disappointing. The tasting room was simply a room where everyone stood, and there was very little that felt special or memorable. We were given vodka samples, which felt out of place on a Bourbon Trail tour, and the bourbon selections themselves didn't feel particularly unique. Water wasn't provided at the tasting stations either; we had to walk over to a dispenser and use tiny paper cups. Most surprising of all, the tastings were served in clear plastic cups. After each pour, our guide mentioned how much the bottle cost in the gift shop, which made the presentation feel even more underwhelming. We were even told we could take the plastic tasting cups home as souvenirs. I understand that the tour is free, but Buffalo Trace is a major distillery with a huge reputation, so I expected a more polished and immersive experience. Between the lack of access to the production areas, standing throughout the tasting, limited variety, lack of readily available water, and plastic tasting cups, the overall experience felt much cheaper than I anticipated. The lemonade from the outdoor bar was actually very good and reasonably priced, so that was a bright spot. Unfortunately, overall, Buffalo Trace was one of my least favorite distillery tours and tastings of the trip.

I've done many tours at wineries and distilleries. The Woodford Reserve "Path to Flavor" is one of…read morethe best! Before the tour starts, use the restroom and grab some water or a "neat" sample while you wait....the welcome center is just that, "welcoming!" If you park at the Welcome Center, you'll need to walk back across the street or take the black shuttle. The tour... The grounds include some very old, well-seasoned buildings, and our tour guide gave us all the details. She was personable and knowledgeable, though it was hard to hear her at times, it's worth grabbing a spot up front if you can. What's really cool is that you get to view a working distillery in progress! This isn't some museum, it's the real facility. The "Path to Flavor" is well worth the price, particularly with the informed tasting at the end. If you ever make it on the Bourbon Trail, try this place.

Took the full immersion tour and tasting on a Friday at 11:45. Had Jeremy as our guide. A small…read moregroup we were able to tour the distillery, the barrel house, and even look into the bottling area. The tasting was also very good. Our guide was great, conversational, and you could tell he was invested in us getting to know the process. Also was able to get a bottle signed by the head distiller Elizabeth McCall

After seeing all the rave reviews for this distillery, we decided to schedule a late-afternoon…read moretour, and I'm so glad we did! The property itself is absolutely beautiful, and our tour guide, Cristy, was incredibly knowledgeable and informative. Before we got started, she made sure to go over important safety tips, which I really appreciated. I will say, out of all the distillery tours I've been on, this one was definitely the most challenging physically. If you're bringing older adults or anyone with limited mobility, just keep in mind that there are some tight spaces, steps, and stairs throughout the tour. At the end of the tour, we were led into a speakeasy-style tasting room, which was such a neat atmosphere! Our tasting included several samples, chocolate, and an Old Fashioned. After the tasting, we were taken through to the gift shop, which had some unique souvenirs. We decided to grab a few drinks at the bar and hang out for a bit before heading out. Surprisingly, Cristy was there to greet us again and even gave us some great drink recommendations! Overall, we definitely recommend the experience! Just be mindful of the physical demands of the tour if you or someone in your group has limited mobility.

This place is way too big and touristy for a memorable tasting experience if that's your goal…read more However, the buildings are significant historically and architecturally so it's worth a visit. So big in fact that the parking lot is across the street. It was very crowded. I parked and walked over to explore the extensive grounds. Many of the buildings are old, the castle dating from 1887, with distilling at the location since 1819, with an 18 year break from the start of Prohibition, and an even longer break from 1972-2016. The site deteriorated greatly during this time until the Old Taylor site was restored and became Castle&Key. The castle and several other buildings are now fully restored, with the castle serving as the main visitor area. Inside the castle it was bustling with tourists so I left after a short wander. There are at least three places to sample spirits here: inside the castle building, in a covered bar patio outside, and a tiny stand-up bar in the patio in front of the castle. That's where I went. I chose two 1/2-ounce pours from the 10 available (bourbons, ryes, gins, and a vodka) for a reasonable $4 each and sat at a nearby table. The Restoration Rye and the standard Small Batch Bourbon were both decent but I wasn't motivated to buy a bottle. There's no cell service here but they supposedly have wifi. However it wasn't working and nobody I asked seemed to know why or for how long. Unacceptable for such a large, touristy place. As I said, the main draw is the buildings and the history behind this place. The site was striking architecturally, the old buildings of various types, from the vine-covered stone castle, metal industrial buildings with pipes running overhead, and an old rusting water tower probably no longer used, with any new buildings thoughtfully placed so as not to detract from the historical ones. And the grounds themselves were very pretty, flowers lining the walkways, some formal gardens, a rushing river overflowing a dam forming one boundary opposite the road side. Walk up the road a bit and you'll discover even more ruins. Not part of Castle&Key anymore but part of the original Old Taylor site as well. I love old ruins and found these striking. And just past these ruins is another distillery, Glenn's Creek. Check it out too but beware: it's a very different experience and may not appeal to everyone.

Wild Turkey was an incredible stop on our bourbon trip--and it happens to be Jeff's favorite…read moredistillery, so expectations were pretty high going in. It absolutely delivered. Our tour guide was excellent: knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly proud of the history behind the distillery. The views are incredible too, especially overlooking the river and the old railroad bridge. Watching people bungee jump from the bridge added a pretty unforgettable moment to the day. We did the regular tour and then paid extra for the Russell's Reserve tasting, and that was well worth it. The tasting really took the experience up a level and gave us a much better appreciation for the Russell's lineup and the craftsmanship behind it. Between the history, the scenery, the hospitality, and the bourbon, Wild Turkey was one of the standout stops of the trip. If you're visiting bourbon country, don't skip it--and if you have the chance, add the Russell's tasting.

This distillery was at the top of our list from the very beginning, and thankfully, it did not…read moredisappoint! First of all, I absolutely loved the staff. One of the employees jokingly gave my spouse and another guest on our tour a hard time about wearing hats from other distilleries. She playfully encouraged them to get new hats, and we all found it hilarious (and my spouse purchased a new one - without pressure). It was a small interaction, but it really set the tone for how welcoming and fun the staff was. We did the production tour with our guide, Josh, who was by far my favorite tour guide of our entire trip. He made the tour fun, interactive, and engaging from beginning to end. He had such a great personality and was incredibly relatable. Honestly, if I could have brought Josh along for the rest of our trip, I would have had him narrate all of our other tours! Once we entered the tasting room, we were blown away by how beautiful it was. We were given four bourbon and rye samples, and they were all fantastic. Needless to say, Wild Turkey Distillery quickly stayed to the top of our list and became one of our favorite stops of the trip. I would absolutely recommend taking a tour here. And if you can, ask for Josh--you're in for a fun, interactive, and memorable experience!

One of the most beautiful and welcoming distilleries I visited during my Kentucky Bourbon Tour…read more From the architecture and interactive history throughout the gift shop to the warm welcome we received at check-in, every detail added to the overall experience. One of my favorite touches was the use of headsets during the tour, which made it much easier to hear and follow the tour guide, even within the distillery. Speaking of the distillery itself, it was by far one of the hottest I've ever experienced--essentially like stepping into a sauna! I strongly recommend bringing water with you, especially if you're visiting on a warm day. The distillery also had some of the strongest, yet delightful, aromas I encountered on my bourbon tour. Once the tour concluded, we were led into a comfortable, air-conditioned tasting room where we sampled 4 bourbons. Our tour guide also did a great job explaining how to properly taste and sip bourbon, which made the tasting experience even more enjoyable. Overall, this was one of my favorite stops on the tour, and I would definitely recommend visiting this distillery!

We came back to Four Roses for a second visit because some of our friends had never been, and it…read morewas just as enjoyable as we remembered. Even though some of the buildings were under construction during the summer, the experience was still excellent. Our tour guide did a great job sharing the history of the distillery and explaining the different bourbon flavor profiles during the tasting. He made everything easy to understand, whether you were new to bourbon or had done a few distillery tours before. One of my favorite parts was the welcome cocktail at the beginning--it was really tasty and a fun way to kick off the tour. The tasting itself was well done, and the staff throughout the distillery were friendly and welcoming. The gift shop is also worth checking out. It's one of the larger ones we've visited, with lots of bourbon, merchandise, and unique goodies to browse. Overall, another great experience, and I'd definitely recommend stopping here if you're touring the Bourbon Trail.

Absolutely the way to close out a bourbon tour…read more With all the pomp and production you can see from the big boys this place is worthy of your time. Barrels tapped on the barn floor. Whiskey Thief hand pulls straight into your tasting glass or bottle. Live music in the background and a fabulous backyard to sit and sip or chill with a bourbon slooshie as the sun set over KY was the perfect end to our day of touring and tasting. We toured some big guys and this place had a level of authenticity that they left behind years ago. Our host, our guide, and our barreltenders were all knowledgeable about the craft. Almost don't want to say more - keep it secret, keep it safe.

Though it was extremely hot outside, I enjoyed taking the tour with my husband and friends…read more I'm not a bourbon drinker but it was cool hearing about the process from our tour guide. The grounds are beautiful and they even had a few cute little goats roaming around. The staff is super friendly and engaging. They don't serve food here but did supply small bags of pretzels. They also served bourbon slushes which one of my friends LOVED.

Great place. Most imaginative bourbon and spirits selection of any place within 50 miles. Don't…read morecome here expecting the typical bourbon tasting experience like you would have at the big guys ( I.e. Woodford, Four Roses, Wild Turkey). David gives you the breadth of his knowledge of the industry and what he has learned over his many years of experimentation. This man is a true scientist of the industry and should be recognized as such. Don't overlook this place.

There's an old saying: "When someone tells you who they are, believe them". I can't think of a…read morebetter representation of this quote. I don't believe just anyone would enjoy this venue. Frankly it's a bit on the junky side. Most everything is covered in black (yeah I know). The tasting room is teeny tiny, itty bitty, small. The bathrooms are..... well, they're outside. You will not find a flower garden, fountain or artwork. You may see chickens or billy goats. I saw both. Our server was (Emma), a charming young gal with freckles that can clean a pot still, explain the grain bill of her product, and give you the business if so deserved. I've been to a few distilleries in the area and found the products selected for tasting conservative? Whiskeys that most people would find okay. Ha.... Not here. This distillery is where you will find your father's or grandfather's bourbon. It's in your face in the best way. I'm not going to cover the whiskeys I liked best but I will say there was absolutely no disappointment. However, the biggest surprise was the Rum. I'm not a rum guy but this deserves to be consumed neat. Being a total tourist and new to this area, I didn't discover this place till my last day. Noob mistake. After tasting I ended up purchasing several bottles here, where I walked by the competition. If you are a whiskey person and you want to taste bourbon, stop by. Dave, we never met but you did deny me on a tour this morning over the phone. I guess I shouldn't have waited till the last minute. Home run on the booze! I'll plan better next time! Keep on keeping on!

Tour guide Laura is the absolute best and made my ambassador experience top tier. Her positive…read moreenergy and knowledge is unmatched. The distillery grounds are well manicured and all of the staff is personable. This was my second visit after 3 years in 2023 and the progress on the grounds is beautiful. Early morning tours are a must so you can take in everything before the crowds come.

The Maker's Mark tour is the gold standard of distillery tours! From the moment you drive on to…read morethe property, you can tell this is going to be. Special kind of day! The grounds are amazing, the restaurant is amazing, and the tour is over the top amazing. The only thing that tops the grounds and tour information is the team of employees that make your experience so enjoyable! Can't wait to come back again and again!

We were scheduled for the frontier tour but it was canceled due to a HVAC issue. They did offer us…read morea free tasting and to refund our tour cost. Other than that, the building and grounds are fabaolous and Brittany was awesome in the tasting. I have been to many distilleries, but this was a first with the aromatic spin on it. We will definitely come back and do the distillery tour.

We had a wonderful stop at Bulleit Distilling Co. Visitor Experience on our way home from…read moreFrankfort! The atmosphere was warm, welcoming, and the perfect place to relax and enjoy some great bourbon. What really stood out was the kindness of the staff. Our bar waitress went above and beyond by making sure our young boys felt included, even sharing a special drink with them so they could be part of the experience. That thoughtful gesture meant so much to our family. We love the beautiful setting, friendly service, and convenient location right along our route home. This will definitely be a regular stop for us whenever we're passing through the area! Cheers to a team that truly knows how to make guests feel welcome.